Top Tips for Running Promotions in Qatar
With the FIFA World Cup 2022 being held in Qatar, are you planning to run a promotion there and do you know the correct rules for a region known for it bureaucracy? This will be the first time a Middle Eastern country has hosted the FIFA World Cup and so provides a great opportunity for brands to capture the excitement of a major sporting event, target new markets and run some great promotional activations.
Emily Vickers from our legal team lists some of the key pointers you should look out for if you are planning a promotion in Qatar:
- Prize draws and competitions can be run in Qatar but both are subject to various requirements.
- However, at the moment due to Covid-19, raffles or draws are not permitted in Qatar. If you want to run a promotion they must be run online.
- Entrants must be over the age of 16 to participate.
- The terms and conditions MUST be translated into Arabic and English.
- If you do not comply with the rules around promotions in Qatar then you will be banned from running any promotions again in Qatar.
- There are no promotional taxes to be paid by the promoter or the consumer.
World Cup Promotions
If you are planning to run a promotion that is connected to the 2022 FIFA World Cup it is vital to note that FIFA and organisations that are associated with them are the legal owners and hold the rights of any competitions. These rights include financial rights, audio-visual and radio recordings, reproduction, broadcasting, marketing, promotional rights and more!
Despite this, such a globally renowned sporting event makes it worth trying to leverage some of the excitement by using promotions to gain recognition for your brand or product.
During the 2014 World Cup, Nike’s social media presence became hugely uplifted because of a marketing video that they released, and they soon became the most recognised brand of the entire World Cup. But beware if you are not a sponsor. You could be penalised for trying to ‘join the party’ if you haven’t paid the entrance fee. So, what do you need to know?
Our Top Tips for running a World Cup promotion if you are not a sponsor.
· Do not attempt to use the FIFA World Cup trademarks as the CAP Code does not allow you to be tied into or related to the event.
· Care must be taken to not use any fonts or images that are linked to FIFA.
· Do not offer tickets to consumers as non-sponsors do not have the permission!
· Partner up with the teams, if they do not break FIFA rules.
· Opt for interactive mechanics (vouchers/codes) – to create an engaging nature.
· Be creative – try and utilise the theme of football to your advantage but without using FIFA’s protected logos, words, symbols and trademarks.
· Ambush marketing – Always sense check your promotion with PromoVeritas first to ensure it isn’t going to get you into trouble.